Promises
by FoxRacing4
Summary: Ed has a reaccuring dream but what does it mean?


_**Those We Love- Those We Miss-Those We'll Never Forget**_

Ed sat on the back porch of Winry's home/shop. His feet dangled over the three-foot high platform. He brought his hands up behind his head and laid back. The clouds rolled by and the sky was eerily red. The wind was blowing softly, making the trees and grass sway as it did so. He was mesmerized by the shade of red. He had never seen anything like it before. It wasn't as dark as blood yet it wasn't as light as a rose. It was somehow different. But how? Al came out and sat beside him. "Hey Big Brother. What are you looking at?" Ed was startled. He wasn't yet use to the now normal teenage voice of his little brother. He had somehow grown accustom to the metallic vocals of the suit. Ed smiled.

"Nothing Al, just the sky." He whispered quietly and closed his eyes. Al looked up. He too was perplexed by the strange color. He couldn't quite place it but he had seen the color before. "That's a pretty shade of red. It's perfect. It reminds me of mom and that lip gloss she always wore." Ed chuckled softly. Though he was a teenager Alphonse still acted somewhat like a child.

"Brother?"

"Hmm?" Ed asked not opening his eyes. Al looked back at his brother.

"I was wondering. Why would dad have left? Do you think it was because of me? I-I mean I was obnoxious and I was rowdy all the time…" Ed sat up puzzled by the sudden question from Al.

"Al…no I don't think it was because of you. Never in my life would I think that." Ed replied leaning against one of the many wooden polls on the back porch, which were also support beams for the roof. "Why would you think that?"

"Huh? Oh…I was just wondering if you thought that…I don't really know why it came up. Is something wrong with me broth-" Al asked but was cut off by the sound of gunshots coming from the forest. "What's that?" He asked standing up. As if by reflex he headed to the forest to check it out. The gunshots Ed had not heard them –but he feared for Alphonse. He had been acting strangely the past few days. Ed followed his little brother. Once the lining of the forest was in view Al suddenly stopped.

"Al? Why'd you stop?" Ed asked looking at his brother. Al began to shake. "Al…? Al…? Alphonse! Speak to me little brother!" Ed yelled shaking him.

"Father…" Al whispered.

"Huh…? Dad…what does this have to do with Dad?" Ed demanded. "Alphonse Elric snap out of it!" Ed slapped his brother across the face. The smacking noise echoed through the forests and valleys. Alphonse absentmindedly put one of his hands to his right cheek, which was now swollen with pain and the shock that his brother would actually physically harm him…intentionally. Ed looked at the hand – the culprit – that had caused the pain Al now felt. "Al…I'm…I'm sorry…" Ed said now taking his brother into his arms. "I'm so sorry…I didn't mean to…I'm so sorry." Alphonse began to cry and whisper something.

"Father…you're back…" He whispered. Ed froze. _Father…? What did he say…? _

"What…what did you just say Al…?" Edward asked.

"Edward…look…Dad's back…" Al said pointing over Ed's shoulder. Edward turned around but saw…nothing.

"Al…no one's there…come on…let's get back before Winry starts to worry." Ed said putting an arm across Al's shoulders. Al started crying.

"But…I saw him…I saw Daddy…" He whispered as they turned to go back. Ed glanced back as they started down the hill. Nothing. _Father. Father where are you? Do you not see the pain you are causing us? I want you to come home…for Al's sake…and…mine as well. Please father…come back…please. _As they approached Winry's home once more Al stopped crying. "I'm sorry brother. I got excited for nothing…I feel so stupid."

"Don't…you were…only expressing what you felt…and though sometimes people don't want to hear it…it's better to express what you're feeling or thinking than to keep it bottled inside. Okay?" Ed asked patting his brother's back. "If there's anything bothering you, you can always come to me all right?" He was hoping Al would tell him why he had suddenly become obsessed with finding their father. "Okay?" Ed asked again. Al looked up and nodded.

"Okay." He said. They stepped up on the porch and walked inside.

"WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN? YOU RAN OFF LIKE A BUNCH OF SCHOOL BOYS!" Winry yelled. The boys ducked behind the table.

"Winry let us explain!" Alphonse begged. Ed pulled him down just in time to dodge the borage of Winry's onslaught of flying pots and pans. She even threw a knife here and there.

"Winry! Calm down!" Ed yelled while dodging a pan. "Ahh! Are you trying to kill me!" Winry walked over to his sitting form while Alphonse cowered behind one of the chairs. Winry held up a pot as if to hit Ed but as she brought it down she stopped an inch short of his nose. Ed sighed in relief. "For a minute I thought you were going to kill me." Edward said standing up. Winry turned away from him.

"I'll let you off with a warning this time…but if you guys are going to live with me you're going to have to tell me where you're going from now on…okay…I just don't want anything to happen to you. " Winry said looking at Edward. Edward dropped his arms to his side and looked at Winry.

"I'm sorry Winry."

"Yeah me too." Alphonse said coming out from behind the chair. There was a knock at the door. "I'll get it." He ran off to answer the door. Ed and Winry set the table as he did so. "Ed! Ed! Brother! Come quick!" Alphonse yelled excitedly. Ed and Winry ran to the hall but Ed stopped short about three feet from the door. There in the doorway stood the one man he detested…the one man he was not proud to call…his father. Hemenhiem Elric.

"See big brother! I told you I saw him! I told you!" Alphonse yelled pulling their father inside.

"No Al! Get away from him!" Ed yelled pulling Alphonse back behind him.

"Edward…it's me…dad." He said.

"You're not my father. I have no father. My father would've come back when his wife died but he didn't did he!" Edward yelled. Hemenhiem sighed.

"Ed listen…I tried I really did but I couldn't, son…I'm sorry." He said touching Ed's cheek, which was now stained with tears. His mother was right. He was the mirror reflection of his father. Edward suddenly clung to his father and cried into his shirt. Alphonse joined him.

"Daddy!" Alphonse yelled as he clung to his father. Hemenhiem pried the boys off of him and got on his knees.

"My boys…I'm sorry I left really I am…can you ever forgive me?" He asked tears streaming down his face. Ed was silent. He wasn't quite sure if he could forgive this man. Not yet anyway. Not until he got some answers.

"I forgive you dad." Alphonse said and hugged him once again. "You do too right big brother? Right?"

"Huh?" Ed asked. Everything started getting blurry and his hearing started fading.

"Right?" Alphonse repeated. The door burst open and Alphonse looked. "Who are you?" Gunshots fired. _The shots from the forest! _

"Dad! Alphonse! Winry!" Ed yelled as everything melted away. Everything went black. "Al?" He asked. His voice echoed. "Dad? Winry?" He asked once more. His voice echoed and came back as a huge gust of wind almost knocking Edward off of his feet. He put his arms up to brace himself.

"Go back…" a child's voice said.

"Huh? Go back…? Wha?"

"Go back…go back…go back…GO BACK!" The voice yelled. As the voice grew louder, the wind grew stronger. Ed was blown off balance and fell but he never hit. He just kept falling. Falling.

Edward woke up with a start. "Ed! Ed!" Havoc yelled. The familiar smell of cigarette smoke filled Ed's senses. Ed pushed him away.

"Go away! I don't want company!" Ed yelled. Havoc looked at Edward.

"You're pathetic." He said. Ed froze. "You're nothing but a weakling…a cry baby…the colonel was right…you're not fit to be in the military." He said.

"WHAT!" Ed yelled standing on the bed so he was eye level with Jean.

"You heard me. You're pathetic. A small little child!" He yelled.

"I am not!" Ed yelled on the verge of tears. Havoc shook his head. Ed grabbed him by the collar. "I am not!"

"Then why are you sobbing in your room huh? You've been like this for the past two weeks. You rarely come out. What's wrong with you! Crying all the time won't bring them back! Winry and Al won't come back no matter what you do!" Jean yelled. Edward loosened his grip.

"You don't understand." Ed said. "You don't understand! No one understands!" Ed yelled dropping to the bed. Havoc looked down on him.

"You think you're the only one who has lost a loved one because of alchemy? You're dumber than I thought." Jean said sitting by him.

"Oh yeah? Name someone."

"I can name six." He said.

"Six?" He asked.

"One…Riza she lost her brother…two…Maes lost his first wife…three… Heymans lost his father…four… Kain lost his grandfather and mother…five… I lost my sister…mother…and father…" Jean explained.

"That's only five." Ed pointed out.

"Roy…lost his baby sister…she was only four years old…he was nineteen. He promised her that he would become the most powerful man on earth and make her proud of him. She was only a little thing so she didn't understand…that's why Roy tries so hard to do the best he can. Do YOU understand now? Do you? You're not the only one…who has lost someone close to them…trust me there are plenty more. Hey kid…we all feel like it's the end of the world but it's not…you have to push past it and keep going. Is there something you promised Winry or Alphonse?"

"I…I promised Winry I wouldn't break my auto-mail anymore."

"Well that I can't guarantee will happen. What about Alphonse?" Jean asked.

"Nothing…nothing that I can remember…" Edward replied sadly.

"Well you think about it and I'll help you in anyway I can." Jean said getting up. He patted Ed on the back and left.

_I know I promised him something….but what? What was it? I can't remember "Go Back…go back brother"…._ "Go back. I promised I'd go back home and visit mom's grave for him. Lieutenant! Lieutenant!" Edward yelled.

"Yeah?" Jean asked.

"I remember."

"Okay." Jean said. "What is it?"

"I need a ride…" Edward replied.

"A ride? Where?" Havoc asked.

"Home…I promised Alphonse something…but I need to go home…I need to visit my mother…for Alphonse."


End file.
